But for the Florida State junior, the thought of sitting out the biggest game of his life never crossed his mind.

Six years in the Air Force — including overseas tours in Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq — had taught him a thing or two about sacrifice, commitment and duty.

“From the start, I felt terrible,” James said. “But I knew my team needed me.”

The Seminoles did, and the 6-foot-10 southpaw responded in heroic fashion with team-highs of 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in No. 10 Florida State's 71-57 rout of No. 2 Notre Dame.

It was an upset that earned the Seminoles a berth in the Sweet 16 and trip to San Antonio.

Florida State (23-10) meets No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth (26-11) on Friday night in a Southwest Regional semifinal at the Alamodome.

It's also a homecoming of sorts for James, who went through basic training and attended military police and leadership schools at Lackland AFB in 2002.

The Savannah, Ga., native said he's had “a lot of contact” from servicemen and women from all over the world, via text message and Twitter, wishing him well in the game.

“They tell me how proud they are of me,” he said. “That means a lot. Some of them I don't even know.”

James has been a driving force in the Seminoles' success.

In the two games in Chicago, victories over Texas A&M and Notre Dame, James scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds with six blocked shots in 46 minutes.

After the team's star, Chris Singleton, broke his foot in mid-February, the 26-year-old James has led the Seminoles in scoring and rebounding. He's one of the main reasons Florida State is the top defensive team in the nation.